Rising Belgium artist Paradoks discusses with us a variety of topics stemming from the beginning of the Pandemic, when his career really started kicking into gear, through to his thoughts on offsetting our carbon footprint and is well travelled past and why it makes him the person it is today. Paradoks single ‘Sense Of Wonder’ is out now via Purified Records. You can buy it HERE.

WWD: How are you, what’s up with you, introduce yourself?

Hey there! I’m Paradoks, a Swiss / Belgian melodic electronic music artist. I have released music on labels such as Stil Vor Talent, Purified and Parquet and my music has gained support from artists such as Nora en Pure, Tale of Us, Lost Frequencies, Tiesto, Pete Tong and many more. I would describe my music as very melodic with a modern edge and a strong drive.

WWD: Following a rough and unpredictable year or so, how have you found it to be returning to dance floors?

It has been a really tough time for all of us. During the pandemic, I enrolled in a Master of Science in Innovation & Entrepreneurship, which made the year even more challenging as I had to balance out a full-time master’s degree alongside my music. Now, I finally graduated, and I feel very liberated with the dancefloors opening again. I won’t be taking live music for granted anymore. I’m returning on an Argentina tour from Mid-November until Mid-December and I can’t wait to play my new tracks.

WWD: What is the scene in Belgium like where you are, have you been part of creative communities in the country?

I was born in Leuven, Belgium, but we moved out of the country when I was 3 years old. I still have all of my family in Belgium except for my parents and brother, so I still visit at least once a year. I can’t really say I have been part of a creative community in Belgium specifically, since I don’t spend as much time as I’d wish there. But I’m not closed to the idea of moving back there soon, maybe in Brussels as I have a few friends there as well. The scene there is amazing, with many great electronic music artists and parties.

WWD: Tell us about growing up in Belgium, and how you got into music, any specifics you would like to share with us?

I didn’t really grow up in any specific country. My life is constantly on the move: I have lived in Belgium (Leuven), France (Strasbourg), Switzerland (Geneva, Zurich, Lausanne), Argentina (Buenos Aires), United Kingdom (London) as well as recently in Spain (Barcelona). However, Switzerland is the country I lived in the longest. All of this moving really forged me into the person I am now, which I believe consequently had an impact on the music I make. I got into music by teaching myself how to play the piano (big shout out to YouTube and its community!). I composed my own songs and played a few piano concerts. Not much later, I discovered the limitless possibilities of creating music on computers. This opened up so many possibilities for musical composition, and I started combining the melodies from my piano background with the modern influences of electronic music. Evolving to my current Paradoks sound has been a long process and will never cease to transform.

WWD: Talking of the scene, and how you got into music, could you let us know one or two tracks that will always stick with you and why?

There is absolutely no doubt that my music style has been constantly influenced by a vast variety of music. But there is too much good music out there, past and present. Therefore, citing only one or two tracks that will always stick wouldn’t do justice to the thousands of incredible songs and artists that inspire and have inspired me daily. Can’t say!

WWD: Your latest single titled ’Sense Of Wonder’ released via Purified label later this month. How did this come to fruition?

It’s the third time I’m releasing on Nora en Pure’s label Purified. Nora was playing my track ‘Floating’ regularly and we then started exchanging on social media. We then met during the pandemic as we were both in Zurich. Not only is she a good friend and great artist, but she is also very professional and puts a lot of care into the artists and music she releases on her label.

WWD: Specifically, what inspired the music, anything to share on the production process too?

I created this track shortly after coming back from my South America tour in 2020. The end of the tour got interrupted because of the pandemic and I had to rush home from one day to the other as quarantine measures started to be implemented rapidly. And then the waiting game started. What will happen? What now? How do I earn my living? Why do I make dance music if we can’t dance? How long to wait? I spent years building towards a music career, and just as it started to work out, it got interrupted. Naturally, all of these doubts had a very strong impact on my motivation and well-being. But I have been so lucky that I spent the peak pandemic months in Switzerland. We had the freedom to go out of the house whenever we wanted, so I took a lot of walks in the surrounding nature. A combination of gratefulness, mindfulness and nature really helped me to accept this uncertain situation and to calm down. I then started appreciating what was around me again, which inspired me to write music again. I then sat down in the studio and recorded the main lead of the track, which I decided to call “Sense of Wonder”.

WWD: When creating tracks, is the performance aspect of playing the music to crowds always at the front of your thinking?

Yes and no. I aim to do two things with my music. Firstly, I want to make music that can be enjoyed through movement, either dancing (obviously) but also commuting, running… But I also want to write music that adds an emotional dimension in people’s lives. In this sense, I want my music to inspire and impact people also in their daily lives, not necessarily only when dancing at a party.

WWD: Are you concerned with your environmental impact as a DJ, and what do you think artists and everyone in music can be doing to mitigate against this?

I am of course concerned with our environmental impact. Thankfully, we don’t create direct waste because creating music requires little resources and no raw materials. We just need a computer, maybe some synths and speakers as well as a small amount of electricity. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have a big environmental impact: we have to take a high number of flights yearly in order to play internationally. Since flying represents our main carbon footprint, starting to offset them is already a good beginning. Some flight companies allow us to pay a carbon offset fee that is directly used to fund carbon dioxide saving projects which compensates our flying footprint.

We could also start looking into creating more sustainable parties, where stages are built from recycled material and where the energy used is created locally through, for example, solar energy. There is so much we can still improve on this side. My brother Thomas who works at the NGO called BASE has various energy-saving projects in developing countries and he really inspires me to be more aware and caring for the environment.

WWD: What future projects can you share with us, anything before the end of the year, or early in 2022 you’d like to share?

I have never been as excited for what is to come in the next year. There is nothing concrete I can say for now, but I feel that I am making the best music I’ve ever done, and I also have many other music related projects that I plan to develop. Now that I can focus 100% on my music project again, I am really determined to create some waves.